Shade edger



United States Patent 3,352,466 SHADE EDGER Jack S. McAllister, 467 N. 73rd St., Centreville, Ill. 622% Filed Dec. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 416,374 7 Claims. (Cl. 223-38) This invention relates to tools for facilitating the folding and sewing of the lower pull edgings of spring roller mounted window shades.

One ot the objects of the invention is to provide a tool which has practical utility for the aforementioned purpose, and is light, convenient, and selective in operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a tool which may be operated with considerable facility and speed, requiring only the mastery of a simple skill which may be acquired easily.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a tool which may be stored quickly and easily and be instantly available for use when needed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a readily accessible measuring device to determine the width of shades without adding to workshop clutter by requiring a separate measuring stick, and which may be read from either side in either direction by the operator.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a tool which may be used to fold two different sizes of pull edging-hatten pockets with no conversions or attachments beyond a turn of the tool to provide a discrete folding surface.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a tool which may be used on all widths of shades and which is not limited solely to narrow shades.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tool suitable for all the other objects noted while still being amenable to a permanent or semi-permanent installation where desired.

Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a View in perspective of one embodiment of shade edger of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is another view in perspective of the embodiment of shade edger shown in FIGURE l, showing the lower side of the device in FIGURE l as the upper side;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a View in perspective of another embodiment of shade edge of this invention;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a view in perspective of yet another embodiment of shade edger of this invention;

FIGURE 7 is a view in end elevation of the shade edger shown in FIGURE 6;

FIGURES 8, 9 and 10 are views in end elevation of the shade edger of FIGURES l-3, showing successive steps in its use;

FIGURE 11 is a somewhat schematic View in edge elevation, showing the linished edging-batten pocket;

FIGURE l2 is a fragmentary View in perspective of another embodiment of shade edger of this invention;

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary view in perspective of still another embodiment of shade edger of this invention; and

FIGURE 14 is a sectional View taken along the line 14-14 ot FIGURE 13.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES 1-3 for one illustrative embodiment of this ICC invention, reference numeral 1 indicates an edger blade. The blade 1 is attached to a narrower edger blade 2 by a stop-spacer 3. Blades 1 and 2 lie in parallel planes separated by a distance equal to the height of stopspacer 3.

An edge 4 of narrower edger blade 2 and an edge 5 of edger blade 1 lie in a plane perpendicular to the parallel planes of blades l and 2 and are separated by a gap 6. An edge 7 of blade 2 and an edge 8 of blade 1 lie in a plane oblique to the parallel planes of blades 1 and 2 because blade 2 is narrower transversely than blade 1. A gap 9 is deiined between edge 7 and the adjacent surface surface of blade 1.

The outer face of the blade 1 in the embodiment shown is graduated in a desired scale of linear measure (c g., inches, centimeters) with suitable indicia 12 as shown in FIGURE 2, while similar measuring indicia 11 and 13 are located on the outer face of blade 2 and the inner face of blade 1 respectively as shown in FIG- URE l.

Another embodiment of shade edger of this invention is illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. Reference numeral 28 refers to an upper blade which lies in a plane parallel with the plane of a lower blade 25. Blades 20 and 25 are separated by a distance equal to the vertical depth of a blade spacer and shade stop 23. The spacer-stop 23 in this embodiment lies along one edge of both blades 2@ and 25 and is narrower than the blades. An inner stop face 28, and the inner surfaces of the blades 20 and 25 define a shade edge-receiving channel 27 with an open mouth 29. A free edge 21 of blade 2t) and a free edge 26 of blade 25 lie in a plane perpendicular to the parallel planes of the blades 20 and 25. Blade 2@ is marked on its outer face with measuring indicia 24. It may be noted that due to the arrangement of measuring indicia 24 and 12, measurements may be made in either direction from either side of the device.

Another embodiment of shade edger of this invention is illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7. This embodiment of shade edger is similar to that illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 except that a stop-spacer 35 is composed of a line of rivets 36 instead of being solid as is stop-spacer 23.

Another embodiment of shade edger of this invention is illustrated in FIGURE l2. This embodiment of shade edger is similar to that illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 except that blade 20 of FIGURE 4 is stiiliy hinged at the junction with spacer 28 so as to allow edge 21 to Contact blade 25.

Referring now to FIGURES 8, 9 and 10 for an eX- planation of the operation of the embodiment of shade edger shown in FIGURES 1 3, it will be seen that an edge 4t) of a roll of shade cloth 37 is first inserted into gap 9 (FIGURE 8), until it butts against the stop-spacer 3 all along its length. The edger is then rotated to bring it to the position shown in FIGURE 9. This provides, between the tree edge 49 of the shade cloth and the resultant fold line along the edge 7, a sewing hem of the desired width. Continuing the operation by rotating the device again to the position shown in FIGURE 10, and then creasing the cloth along the edges 7 and 4 and 5, will result in a pull edging-hatten pocket 42 being formed at the edge of the shade with a triple thickness at one side for stitching 41, as shown in FIGURE 1l. The edger is preferably pulled from one end of the pocket, though if the creases are distinct enough, the pocket can be opened enough to permit the removal of the edger by pulling the short hem from the channel in which it is formed. The hem can be fed to a sewing machine as the pocket is being slid off the end of the edger.

It will be noted that if the shade had been inserted a into gap 6 and the same operation performed, a pull edging-hatten pocket of different size, i.e. of a width with the blade 1, would have been produced.

The operation of the other illustrated embodiments of edger is substantially the same.

The embodiment of FIGURES 13 and l4 provides bracket 51 within which axially centered pegs 50 attached to the shade edger are free to rotate. The operation and use of the embodiment of FIGURES 13 and 14 is substantially the same as that described for the embodiment of FIGURES 1-3, with the exception that the embodiment of FIGURE-S 13 and 14 is adapted to be rotatably fastened to a table or workbench so as to obviate the necessity to hold the shade edger by hand while rotating it to form the batten pocket. The operation and use of the shade edger of FIGURE 12 is identical to that described for the embodiment of FIGURES 1-3, except that the provision of stiffly acting hinges 55 allows the edge of the shade to be tightly gripped upon insertion within the open mouth, thereby eliminating any possible slippage and consequently uneven edge.

Purely for purposes of illustration but not by way of limitation it may be noted that in the embodiment shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the measurements stated below have been found to be quite effective in fashioning pull edging-hatten pockets of the standard width of one inch:

Inches Length of edger 72 Width of blades 1 Stop-spacer Ht. 1&2 Stop-spacer distance from open mouth 1/2.

The manufacture of this invention can be accomplished by many means. It may be fashioned from extruded aluminum, molded plastic, or any number of dierent materials. It may be manufactured as an integral unit, or by assembling component parts, of like or different materials.

Many modifications based on this invention are possible.

An example would be the manufacture of the measuring system from Bi-Vista plastic which would allow the reading of a normally printed scale from either side.

Numerous other variations in the construction of the shade edger of this invention within the scope of the appended claims will occur to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure.

Another embodiment of shade edger of this invention is illustrated in FIGURES 13 and 14. This embodiment is similar to that shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 except that a peg 50 is provided at the place where the upper and lower blades join stop face 28 and a bracket 51 is provided within which peg 50 rotates freely.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A shade edger adapted to form a single turn sewA ing hem of substantial width and a hatten pocket with a fold along the pull edge of the shade, comprising an upper and a lower edger blade and a spacer-stop member intermediate said upper and lower blades, said blades being long and relatively narrow and having parallel edges, and said spacer-stop member defining a stop line at a uniform and predetermined distance from said blade edges, lsaid blades being spaced apart along said edges a distance sufficient to form a gapy with a mouth defined by said edges to admit an edge of the shade cloth, the stop line defined by the spacer-stop member being spaced from one of the mouth-dening edges of said blades a distance which determines the desired width of the sewing hern and the said stop line being spaced from a blade edge in the opposite direction from the said mouth-defining edge a distance to define the width of the batten pocket from the fold to the inner edge of the sewing hem.

2. The shade edger of claim 10 wherein at least one of the blades is provided with measuring indicia on its outer surface.

3. The shade edger of claim 16 wherein means are provided forv temporarily gripping a shade edge inserted therein.

4. The shade edger of claim 10 wherein the stop-spacer is composed of a line of rivets.

5. The shade edger of claim 4 wherein this line of rivets is parallel with all of the blade edges, but spaced at a different distance from the two long edges of a least one ofthe blades.

6. The shade edger of claim 10 wherein at least one of the blades is provided with measuring indicia on its outer surface.

7. A shade edger adapted to form a single turn sewing hem of substantial width and a batten pocket with a fold along the pull edge of the shade, comprising an upper and a lower edger blade and a spacer-stop member intermediate said upper and lower blades, said blades being long and relatively narrow and having parallel edges, and

said spacer-stop member defining a stop line at a uniform and predetermined distance from said blade edges, said blades being spaced apart along said edges a distance sufficient to form a gap with a mouth dened by said edges to admit an edge of shade cloth, the stop line defined by the spacer-stop member being spaced from one of the mouth-defining edges of said blades a distance which determines the desired width of the sewing hem and the said stop line being spaced from a blade edge in the opposite direction from the said mouth-defining edge a distance to dene the width of the batten pocket from the fold to the inner edge of the sewing hem, and means for revolvably mounting said shade edger on a support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 305,665 9/1884 Castles 33--107 529,419 11/1894 Schoen 112-141 970,586 9/1910 Whitaker 33--107 1,932,116 10/1933 Melvin et al 112-147 2,215,499 9/ 1940 Glick 33-107 2,814,116 11/1957 Goodman 33-190 HARRY N. HAROIAN, Primary Examiner.

LEoNARD FORMAN, Examiner. 

1. A SHADE EDGER ADAPTED TO FORM A SINGLE TURN SEWING HEM OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH AND A BATTEN POCKET WITH A FOLD ALONG THE PULL EDGE OF THE SHADE, COMPRISING AN UPPER AND A LOWER EDGER BLADE AND A SPACER-STOP MEMBER INTERMEDIATE SAID UPPER AND LOWER BLADES, SAID BLADES BEING LONG AND RELATIVELY NARROW AND HAVING PARALLEL EDGES, AND SAID SPACER-STOP MEMBER DEFINING A STOP LINE AT A UNIFORM AND PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FROM SAID BLADE EDGES, SAID BLADES BEING SPACED APART ALONG SAID EDGES A DISTANCE SUFFICIENT TO FORM A GAP WITH A MOUTH DEFINED BY SAID EDGES TO ADMIT AN EDGE OF THE SHADE CLOTH, THE STOP LINE DEFINED BY THE SPACER-STOP MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM ONE OF THE MOUTH-DEFINING EDGES OF SAID BLADES A DISTANCE WHICH DETERMINES THE DESIRED WIDTH OF THE SEWING HEM AND THE SAID STOP LINE BEING SPACED FROM A BLADE EDGE IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM THE SAID MOUTH-DEFINING EDGE A DISTANCE TO DEFINE THE WIDTH OF THE BATTEN POCKET FROM THE FOLD TO THE INNER EDGE OF THE SEWING HEM. 